The role of personal music therapy for music therapists

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether or not music therapists engage in music therapy as personal therapy. A 32-question survey was electronically distributed to board-certified music therapists (MT-BC) who were working full-time, part-time, or per diem in the United States. Potential study participants were located through the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) database and contacted by the researcher. Of 177 participants, 55 (31.08%) have utilized music therapy as personal therapy. Music therapists have engaged in music therapy to explore personal issues, receive support, and strengthen professional competencies. For the 122 participants (68.92%) who have never engaged in music therapy as personal therapy, time, finances, engagement in other forms of therapy, and dual relationships within the music therapy profession were leading contributors that deterred music therapists from engaging in personal music therapy. Though a handful of participants believe music therapy is not beneficial for everyone, 95.15% of participants recommended that music therapists receive some sort of therapy. Results of this survey indicate that only a small percentage of music therapists are engaging in music therapy as personal therapy.